Well renowned and a bit controversial early this year Submission Fight Co was under fire for the distribution of selling non hemp kimonos to their customers. It was later revealed in a recent statement on their blog site that they were victim to a misleading distributor overseas in Pakistan that supplied them with the false merchandise without their knowing. Looking to rebound off its past scrutiny Submission FC is determined to make right of it wrongs to the BJJ community with future participation in charity events such as the upcoming “Grapplethon: Team Liam's Fight” and the release of its new BJJ Hemp T-Shirt collection which hopes to take the brand in a more positive direction and innovative in clothing fashion off the mat.

Their first batch of Hemp Shirts sets the tone in motion which I can concur combines all around comfort with stylish appeal in representing the BJJ lifestyle where ever you go. Top testing facility SGS Lab conducted a test on these new Hemp shirts. The results show that these shirts are made of 55 % Hemp and 45 % Organic Cotton. Now you may be asking yourself how this differs from other fabric material. For those that are not familiar, Hemp material carries a stronger, lighter, and is more resistant for retaining bacteria thus making it an all-natural shirt.

The shirts are Pre-Shrunk so the buyer won’t have to worry about the shirt shrinking after it comes out of the washer. Speaking of washing details from performing the procedure myself it is recommended to wash the shirt in cold water and hang dry it to prevent damage of the product thus retaining its appearance.

The physical features of the shirt are a standout quality that can attract any buyer. The artwork is what caught my attention which surprisingly carries a hidden message behind the design.

Probably inspired by the recent Sharknado craze Submission FC's Ocean Blue “The Ground is My Ocean" Shirt features a Shark springing out the water to attack his foe. The name behind the shirt is a famous quot by Carlos Machado* used many years ago clarifying his superb skills on the ground which adds deep value when you wear it something I’m sure every grappling practitioner carries with them especially when facing an opponent in competition.

The second model Submission FC's Natural White "If Size Mattered the Elephant Would Be the King of The Jungle" Shirt features a Roaring image of The King of the Jungle himself a Lion. Once again carrying a powerful meaning in its product, the message is a quote from another BJJ Legend Rickson Gracie which every person can identify with growing mentality, physically, and technically to become better as a BJJ fighter.

Comfortable, Stylish, All Natural, and Making a Strong Statement Submission Fight Co Hemp BJJ Shirts is everything a grappling practitioner could ask for. Without question their Gi's have made an impression on us all which looks to continue with the first batch release of these great Hemp shirts.

Looking forward to see what Submission FC has in store for us in the future.

The Battlepack Core is a 32L 100% hemp canvas backpack loaded with practical features and backed by Datsusara’s famous customer service. A spacious main compartment with full-length zipper, large variety of external/internal pockets, front and side PALS webbing, and comfortable straps means that Datsusara’s middle-size backpack satisfies the needs of Brazilian jiu-jitsu / MMA / judo / muay Thai types, as well as hikers, cyclists, and world travelers.

There are many reasons to like Datsusara—clean designs, practical features, environmentally friendly materials, stellar customer service—but their most unique characteristic is in the name, which is derived from the Japanese phrase “to leave the corporate worker’s life.” Owner Christopher Odell’s distaste for frivolous consumerism is clear. Datsusara doesn’t advertise. Their products have a minimum of logos. While our senses are under constant siege by deceitful and obnoxious advertising by companies whose sole aim is to sell future landfill, Datsusara’s only marketing strategy relies on product quality, customer service, and word of mouth. They even shut down online retail sales during the Black Friday consumer orgy.

I find it appropriate to review the Hemp Ecstasy gi by Submission Fight Company during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I am not only a Brazilian Jiujitsu Black belt; I am also a cancer survivor. During my bout with cancer, I learned the great benefits of Cannabis as an effective treatment to counter the side effects of chemotherapy. While researching more about Cannabis, I began to learn about Hemp and what a fantastic fiber it is. Hemp is strong, durable, breathable, and, anti-microbial. When you read about Hemp, you learn that not only is it much better than cotton as a fiber, but, it is also much more environmentally friendly too. So naturally, I was very excited to be asked to review the Hemp Ecstasy gi.

Out of the bag I noticed that the build quality is very good. Unlike many gi’s, when you look closely at the stitching, it is nice and even. No loose stitching, or, tag ends anywhere. Also, unlike some other Hemp gi’s I’ve seen, the weave is nice and tight like true gi material. It’s nice to see someone is paying close attention to details that make a truly good gi. After all, it’s equipment, not fashion.

Martial arts apparel and gear company Datsusara was founded in 2007 by Christopher Odell, a man with a clear goal: "Datsusara gear is manufactured to be as strong and versatile as military gear, while incorporating the most functional textiles nature has to offer." His life philosophy is also represented by the company name, which is a translation of the Japanese phrase "to leave the salaried/corporate worker's life." Those are some big green checkmarks, but the ultimate test is how the equipment performs in the world and on the mat.

The Datsusara catalogue features a Brazilian jiu-jitsu gi, fight shorts, and an array of backpacks, bags, and accessories. Everything is made of natural, environmentally friendly fibers like hemp and bamboo. Datsusara gear has been gaining lots of attention recently, as evidenced by many of the items being sold out at the time of publishing. This review covers Datsusara’s hemp fight shorts.

For one, the cut and fit of the rash guard is wonderful. I'm sure I'm not only grappler annoyed by rash guards that roll up and expose our bellies and get stuck up there. In my opinion submission fc hit the mark with the fit.

I've worn the rash guard as much as I can, both with and without the gi. And so far, the rash guard's construction has held up well. The logos, being sublimated, is there to stay.

Now the aesthetics of the the rash guard are crisp and clean. The only thing I was confused by was the design around the logo. For the longest time I thought that it was the ink bleeding on the rash guard. It wasn't until after a friend reminded me of the rash guards material, the cloud around the logo finally made sense. However, it is a bit of an eyesore. It makes the otherwise great rash guard appear imperfect. Overall, the rash guard is great. It fits well, and other than the ink bleed cloud, looks sharp.

Did you know that the first American Made gi debuted in the 2009 Mundials? Another fun fact, it was made of hemp. Adrienne of the Green Gi has been working for the last 4 years to bring American Made 100% Hemp gis to the masses. We took a few minutes to learn more about the Green Gi, Adrienne and the process she went thru to bring her gi to us.

Intro:Flow Kimonos is a Boston based gear manufacturer that was created last year by Jonathan Leung. I stumbled across Flow Kimonos while searching thru Facebook for new gear manufacturers and after seeing some of their pictures and sizing chart (they have slim/tall cuts) I contacted them about a review. Fast forward 3 months. I’ve been training in their prototype unbleached hemp gi since mid-December and in that time it has become one of my favorite gis and a staple of my training. Flow Kimono’s hemp gi is manufactured in China and they are transitioning their other gis, the Pro Series White & Black, to China as well. The Navy Blue Hemp gi (production version of my prototype) is available for pre-order and should be available in late-April or early May.

"This is a decent gi. It feels like it can withstand the wear and tear of being a daily gi, without feeling like a suit of armor."

This is my second go at this company's gi. Just as before I really like this companie's vision and mission statement. As this is their second gi that I'm reviewing, I can't help but compare the two.

At first unpacking I quickly noticed the color of the gi. With out being loud or obnoxious, it manages to stand out with its own unique shade of blue. There is no mistaking it for any other gi on the market. On their first gi, they had a black logo on a black gi, but no one knew it was there because you couldn't see it. On this edition, the logo stands out without being huge.

Review of the Datsusara HCG-03, the only Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu kimono made of 100% hemp

Intro:Datsusara is a gear company based out of California that specializing in making products out of hemp. They offer kimonos, gi belts, gear bags and clothing all made from 100% hemp. I was fortunate to be able to review their Hemp Combat Gi (HCG-03). There battlepack backpacks have gotten rave reviews from other bloggers such as Brendan at Gi Reviews.net and Seymour "Meerkatsu" Yang (including some awesome pictures of his kids inside the bag).

Datsusara is a Japanese phrase meaning "to leave the salaried/corporate worker's life". Chris K. Odell founded Datsusara in 2007 because, as an avid sports participant (in Mixed Martial Arts), he couldn't find gear that met his needs. Datsusara has a singular goal, to make truly functional, high quality gear. The Datsusara lifestyle means spending more of your time doing the things you love to do, and Datsusara is here to supply the gear.

Right out of the bag I could tell that this gi was something unique. This is the first unbleached gi that I've ever owned and also the first that is not made out of traditional materials (cotton). The impression that I got when picking it up and examining the gi was that of a heavy linen shirt and pants; the pants especially look and feel like linen. The weave of the kimono and pant both highlight the natural fiber characteristics of hemp.

Submission Fight Co.'s Hemp Sensation has some good, bad, and ugly things about it. First the good: Well it's a 70/30 blend of hemp and cotton. I am a sucker for alternative materials for gis. After my first experience with a 100% hemp gi, I was wondering how SFCo was going to pull it off. The thing of it is, they do. The gi is durable. I put myself and the gi through some tough sessions on and off the mat. I had team mates pulling at from all positions, from the lightest to the heaviest team mates. Off the mats I washed it hot, cold and everything in between. I've even washed it four times in one week. For the most part hemp sensation held up well. I enjoy the cut of the jacket. Now I know that this is a personal preference and it also depends on your body type. I am 5'2" and 145 lbs, and the jacket fit me like a glove. No excessive sleeves for people to take advantage, and not too short to be IBJJF tournament legal. I also liked the look of the embroidery, not too loud and not too thick where it would inhibit my movement. It is a personal gripe of mine to have huge chunks of embroidery on the arms and legs.